Economist Melissa Dell implemented a comparative study to isolate the long-term effects of the Mita system using a discontinuity design. The geographic boundary of the Mita region, located in areas of modern-day Bolivia and Peru, served as the discontinuity, as depicted on a map of the area. This boundary divided the indigenous population into a treatment group (communities inside the boundary subject to forced labor) and a control group (adjacent communities outside the boundary that were exempt). To ensure the groups were comparable, Dell focused her analysis on areas near the boundary where other variables, such as elevation and ethnic distribution, were similar. By comparing the current-day outcomes of villages just inside and just outside this boundary, she could identify the causal impact of the historical Mita system on current-day outcomes.

Melissa Dell's Comparative Research Methodology for the Mita System

A significant methodological challenge exists in determining the specific long-term economic consequences of the Mita system. The difficulty lies in isolating the impact of this historical institution from other confounding factors that may also contribute to the current poverty experienced by indigenous communities in Bolivia and Peru.

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Melissa Dell is an economist who researches the long-term effects of historical institutions on contemporary life. She conducted a notable study on the colonial Mita system to understand its lasting impact, addressing the methodological challenge of separating its effects from other potential causes of modern poverty in Bolivia and Peru.

Melissa Dell

To cite the ebook, use The CORE Econ Team 2023 The Economy 2.0: Microeconomics Open access e-text https://core-econ.org/the-economy/.

To cite a unit, use The CORE Econ Team 2023 The Economy 2.0: Microeconomics Open access e-text https://core-econ.org/the-economy/ Unit [unit number] (url).

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